Bobby Monks is blowing the whistle on Wall Street, giving middle class Americans the low down on how they’re being fleeced of their retirement money—and what they can do about it.

Every month our financial statements arrive, and every month we glance at them, trying to understand, hoping that we’ll come out ahead. But most of us have no idea what’s really going on or the costs involved. According to Bobby Monks—who has been a banker and borrower, investor and entrepreneur—

financial firms and money managers have complicated the investing process to keep us in the dark, profiting from our ignorance

Having dealt with the financial sector throughout his career, Monks has seen it all. In Uninvested, he reveals how, when, and why the relationship between us and our money managers became corrupted—and what we can do to fix it. Monks shows how the system works not only against us as individuals but also against society at large.

Monks’ experiences give him a unique perspective on how we got to this point.

Drawing on original research and interviews with key figures such as Vanguard founder Jack Bogle, legendary investor Carl Icahn, and former congressman Barney Frank of the Dodd-Frank Act,

Monks teaches us how to take back ownership and control of our money. As he writes:

Even in the decades preceding the most recent downturn, very few investors enjoyed financial success equal to that of their money managers. Given this, I have long wondered why investors don’t pull their money out of the system en masse.

I suspect that it is because most feel powerless. Unaware of the implications of their investments and unable to penetrate the excruciating complexity of the system that facilitates them, many seem to seek refuge in their money managers’ aura of sophistication, pretense of competence, and projection of certainty. It seems to me that most investors are simply sleepwalking through the investing process. They have become uninvested.

Co-Authors

Justin Jaffe

Justin Jaffe is a writer, researcher, entrepreneur, and investor. He is cofounder of Rapport.IO, a sustainability software platform, and previously was a journalist for CNET and Wired.

Bree LaCasse

Bree LaCasse is a community builder, investor and philanthropist dedicated to creating socially equitable, prosperous and resilient communities. With experience in private equity investing, real-estate development, non-profit development, and placemaking, Bree works to transform society at the intersection of mission and profit.

“If you want to know why Wall Street always seems to make out, even as your investments never seem to do as well as advertised, you should read Uninvested. It’s a revelatory piece of work.”

ANDREW TOBIAS

author of The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need

“Bobby Monks would rouse investors from their slumber, free them from exorbitant fees, and offer them ‘Cooperative Investment Partnerships’ to reinvigorate capitalism. Whether or not his CIP concept succeeds, who can fail to cheer him on?”

PAUL STEIGER

executive chairman of ProPublica and former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal

“Most Americans have surrendered control over their financial futures to investment professionals who win even when they lose. In this clear, concise, compelling book, Bobby Monks tells why and how to reclaim power over your money from brokers and mutual fund managers who put their interests ahead of yours.”

JAMES A. KAPLAN

manager, Global Governance Equity Fund

“Uninvested hits the nail right on its head. Unfortunately you and I, as individual investors, are the nail. Monks points out directly and fairly that financial firms and money managers have intentionally made investing overly complicated. He provides individual investors with the ground rules to protect our investments.”